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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24332770">Help Me Hold On To You</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/buskidsaos/pseuds/buskidsaos'>buskidsaos</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. (TV)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>5+1 Things, Angst with a Happy Ending, Character Death, Family Feels, Father-Daughter Relationship, Fix-It, Fluff and Angst, Gen, Grief, Hurt/Comfort, Life Model Decoys, Phil Coulson &amp; Melinda May are Skye's Parents, Skye | Daisy Johnson Feels, Skye | Daisy Johnson Needs a Hug, Skye | Daisy Johnson-centric, Team as Family, Wakes &amp; Funerals, except it's 3+1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-05-23</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-05-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 06:26:42</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>4</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,351</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24332770</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/buskidsaos/pseuds/buskidsaos</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>three times Daisy has to come to terms with losing Coulson, and one time she doesn't have to.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Melinda May &amp; Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson &amp; Skye | Daisy Johnson, Phil Coulson/Melinda May</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>69</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>Hey guys! In honor of S.H.I.E.L.D season 7 being four days away, I'll be posting a chapter of this every day leading up to the premier :) Hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Daisy rushed out of the room, blinking tears from her eyes. How was this happening? How was she losing him, the man that had saved her life, the one that she considered a father? </p><p>She forced herself to stop walking as her breathing picked up. She could feel herself hyperventilating as the reality of the situation sank in. Coulson was dying, and he hadn't told them. She leaned against a cool wall, trying to ground herself, or at least calm down somewhat. But how could she calm down when..</p><p>Footsteps broke her out of the rabbit-hole that her thoughts had become. She didn't need to face the person to know who it was.</p><p>"I.. I can't do what you're asking of me. I can't do it."</p><p>"You've always been capable of more than you imagined," he responded. </p><p>"No. Not without you," she said, voice breaking as she turned to face him. She took a deep breath, steadying herself.</p><p>"You found me," she continued, "alone in an alley. And you.. you gave me everything. A home, a.. a belief, solid ground to stand on. But..  that was all you. <em>You </em>are what I believe in."</p><p>"You believe in yourself, and you should."</p><p>"No. You want a symbol? <em>You </em>are the symbol. There's no S.H.I.E.L.D. without you. Th.. there's nothing without you!" she exclaimed as the sobs that had been threatening to break free since Coulson first collapsed finally made their appearance. "There's-"</p><p>"C'mere," he whispered, taking Daisy in his arms. She held on to him tightly, as if he was going to disappear then and there. He let her cry for what seemed like hours, until his shirt was soaked with her tears. She felt empty and numb when she finally straightened up, rubbing at her eyes and refusing to meet his. She couldn't live without him- she simply couldn't.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>part two. Hope you enjoy :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Daisy knew what was to come as soon as May's quinjet touched down. It had been twelve days since they'd dropped her and Coulson off in Tahiti, and they hadn't received as much as a text message from either of them. They had previously agreed that May wouldn't be returning until Phil passed, so Daisy's heart sank as soon as she got the transmission to open the landing pad.</p><p>She immediately rushed out to the tarmac, arriving just as the ramp opened. Daisy knew that Coulson wouldn't be walking down, wouldn't be coming back to her; she'd been preparing for the past two weeks. But that didn't stop it from hurting more than anything ever had as May walked down, eyes red and puffy, and painstakingly alone.</p><p>Daisy's feet moved against her will as she ran to the woman and wrapped her in a hug. May stiffened at first, but gently put a hand on the girl's back as she began to sob.</p><p>"Is he.." Daisy choked out. May nodded, unable to find her words. The younger girl trembled more at this, breaths coming out in gasps.</p><p>They stood there for what felt like hours. Jemma, Mack, and Yo-Yo came out to greet May, but backed off when they saw Daisy's reaction. Eventually, she calmed down enough to head inside. May took her straight to her bunk, and Daisy followed blindly.</p><p>"Here, drink this," May said, pulling a bottle of water out from God know's where. Daisy nodded, wiping the remaining tears off of her face.</p><p>"'M sorry," she mumbled, taking a sip. May shook her head.</p><p>"Don't be. It's.. I get it."</p><p>"I know you do. I.." Daisy paused, choosing her next words carefully, "was it peaceful?"</p><p>"Yeah. We went to bed one night, and the next morning... he was gone." A singular tear fell down May's face as she fought to keep her voice steady. "He talked about you a lot, especially in the last few days. It got to a point where we knew... we knew it wouldn't be much longer. I think he was glad you didn't have to see him like that."</p><p>"I still wish I'd gotten to see him one last time. There's so much I wanted to tell him," she said, voice cracking. May took the girl's hand in hers.</p><p>"We'll be all right. Right, May?" she asked, desperation in her tone. May nodded.</p><p>"Yeah. It's going to be hard, but.. we will be."</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>three more days!!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>1 day :)</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The funeral was a small, somber event. Only the core team members attended; they all knew Phil would have liked it that way. They covertly drove to a rural cemetery near Coulson's hometown, where May had previously chosen a plot near a babbling creek with lots of wildflowers. Mack and Davis lowered the casket into the ground, and they stood in silence for a few minutes before taking up shovels and covering the dark, smooth wood in dirt. Daisy's vision was blurred the entire time; the tears simply wouldn't stop. She was shaking by the time they finished and Jemma grabbed her hand, steadying her slightly.</p><p>As they stood around the freshly dug dirt, it was easy to forget that their leader was buried six feet below. They were silent and still for a few minutes, before one by one, they tapered off. Simmons eventually let go of Daisy's hand, leaving her and May alone.</p><p>"Do you want a minute?" the older woman whispered thickly. Daisy nodded, throat constricting. May's footsteps gently padded behind her until she was out of sight. And when Daisy was finally left alone, she dropped to her knees, sobs ripping out of her throat.</p><p>This was it. There was no more pretending that it was all just an awful nightmare, that she would wake up and he would be there, wiping her tears away. He was gone; buried in the earth. There was no avoiding the fact.</p><p>As her cries finally tapered off, she cleared her throat and began the awkward speech that she'd been formulating in her mind.</p><p>"Hey, Coulson," she said, voice cracking. "I know you're not really here, but wherever you are, I just want you to know that.. I really, really miss you. You gave me <em>everything. </em>A family. <em>You </em>became family. I know I have a real dad, and he turned out to not be as awful as we thought, but... you were a better dad than he ever was. I... I love you. So much."</p><p>She wiped off her tears once again, taking a moment to compose herself before facing the rest of the team. She stood up and walked over to them with a false smile on her face that they all saw through.</p><p>"You okay, Tremors?" Mack whispered, putting an arm around her shoulder.</p><p>"Yeah," she lied, "I'm good."</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Happy premier day!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>"So? What do you think?" Jemma asked. Daisy could only stare, mouth agape.</p><p>"He would want us to consider the ramifications.." It happened without thinking. Daisy pressed the button. The past year had been the worst one of her life; she'd lost the first person that had valued her, someone she considered a father figure. And now she had a chance to see him again. There was no way in hell that she was passing up that opportunity. </p><p>The chamber's lights flashed, and all they could do was stare in awe as Coulson- well, the LMD version at least- opened his eyes.</p><p>"Hey, guys."</p><p>Daisy could do was stare. He was <em>here. </em>A year of mourning, of grieving, of trying to move on with her life. She had refused to let herself imagine the possibility of him returning. But now? She had to be dreaming. Either that, or she was in some weird, twisted nightmare.</p><p>"Why so quiet?"</p><p>Daisy's breath hitched, and she tentatively took a step forward towards him. He smiled warmly at her.</p><p>"Hi, Daisy. It's been a while," he said softly, crossing the distance towards her and enveloping her in a hug which she immediately melted in to. A weight was immediately lifted off of her chest. He was real, there, in front of her. She had him back. Her father. And this time, she wasn't going to let him go.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for reading my little tribute to Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D. Hard to believe tonight is the last ever season premier.</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading :)</p></blockquote></div></div>
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